Seasonal Meetings
by pkmntrashcan
Summary: (Lonashipping Week, Day 4, Prompt 4: Seasons) Gladion finds himself falling in love throughout the seasons with a girl who had only recently noticed him (or so he thought.)


"You know, Lillie and Hau's meet-cute makes me jealous," Moon mutters as she walks next to Gladion on a fall afternoon. They had just finished hanging out with the couple, and seeing them that happy made her wish that she too would fall in love soon.

"A cute cafe, spring flowers..." her voice now dreamy before she looks at him with the corner of her eye. "It wasn't anything like our first meeting that's for sure," Moon adds with a pout, remembering the brisk and cold responses of the blonde next to her. He wasn't like that with her anymore, but the fact that he was made her wonder what had changed.

Gladion stops in place as a scowl makes its way onto his face. When she notices he wasn't walking anymore she tilts her head cueing him that she was confused.

"Moon, when do you think we first met?"

She blinks slowly. This was common knowledge. Their first meeting is what started their friendship. "Route 5, the bus stop. It was raining and you begrudgingly talked to me."

A quick shake of the head however throws Moon for a loop as he continues moving, now setting the pace of their conversation and their walk. "What? Did you know about me before that day?"

And as soon as she finishes the question Moon sees a gleam in his eyes that teeters along fond remembrance and pure contriteness. She knew their first meeting didn't go well, and all subsequent meetings after that were merely business. Classmates forced to interact, workmates encouraged to get along. Somewhere along the way, regardless of the naysayers, she fell hard for his demeanor, his passion, his wit.

She just wouldn't tell him.

"Winter quarter. Freshman year. English 101, the class we all had to take, you were in the class before mine."

Gladion watches Moon's face visibly scrunch up as she tries to recall what was now almost a year ago.

He doesn't blame her, he wasn't on her radar back then, while Moon completely was on his.

* * *

Their professor, Hala, was one to brag about students he found profoundly talented in their writing. From examples he shared, to the stories he would go on and on about, Moon's name would be dropped every so often. Whether or not she knew about the professor's favoritism of her was unknown, but the way she was described made her seem like she was a traveled soul with words that would extend well past the page. 'An older transfer student,' he and many others thought because who in their right 18 year old mind would take a a basic English course that seriously. Because he knew he certainly didn't, which spoke to his struggling grade. And their teacher's policy of one student per office hour now aggravated the blonde as he waited outside in the shockingly cold Alolan winter breeze.

He rubbed his hands together, regretting the lack of an extra jacket as he considered leaving his station (C's get Degrees right?) when he noticed one petite girl leaving the office with a beaming smile and a gracious "thank you!"

Gladion was never one to gawk, but for some strange, strange, reason there was something about her that made him just stop and stare in complete awe.

Was it the way her hair was braided up? Or was it how her cheeks were now slightly pink because of the cold air hitting them. He watched her scramble to pull out a Rowlet designed scarf before noticing how vibrantly blue her eyes were.

"Ahem," he hears from beside him as his attention is pulled back to the problem at hand. Hala merely gives him a knowing glance as he welcomes Gladion inside. The blonde takes one final look back only to find her gone.

A missed connection Gladion figured would end at just that, until Spring came along.

The trees were all abloom as the blossoms decorated the air and floor all around them. Gladion sat begrudgingly across his sister as she beckoned over a nearby waitress. Leave it to Lillie to request an outside table mid allergy season.

And also leave it to her to suddenly squeal: "Moon! I didn't know you worked here!"

So he peered up and found himself staring at the very girl he figured was out of his life. She smiles as she answers Lillie's question. Something about it being recent, Gladion honestly couldn't recollect as focused on sipping water. It's rude to stare at anyone, even if they were cute.

"So what can I get for you?" Moon asked.

The question came so suddenly. Did Lillie even order already? His brain malfunctioned as he tried to pick a food option, only for everyone to hear Moon's name be called out by a nearby manager as she was beckoned to come towards them. She quickly looks back at him apologetically and says, "I'll be right back."

She never returned, instead replaced with someone named Hau who seemed way too keen on getting to know Lillie more. And he found himself wondering if this would be too trivial to ask his sister about.

He never did, because the season soon ended and school was out leaving him to accept his fate of the wretched season.

Summer was Gladion's enemy. He not only hated the heat, but he hated how a few seconds outside would burn him to a crisp.

There was, however, one thing worse than the blistering sun:

The surprise humid rains.

The rain that made everything feel sticky. A rain that made the air thick and dry. A rain that would start seemingly out of nowhere.

And Gladion found himself waiting in the surprise horrid rain on his way to a brand new internship. His umbrella was the only thing coming between him and a damaged shirt, and as the bus continued to run late he found himself considering the walk to campus instead.

He peers down at his watch, he would give it two more minutes.

And that's when a cacophony of puddles splashing underneath the sound of high heels calls his attention.

'Who in their right mind would wear heels in this weather?' he wondered when a small groan escapes the person who ducked under the bus stop's awning. A leaky barrier that wouldn't last long.

He glances from the corner of his eye and sees jet black hair that makes his heart begin to pound.

Moon.

Moon who was now trying to shake the water off her arms as she mutters 'stupid rain' before realizing that someone was next to her. She looks over at him, an embarrassed smile appearing when she looks at him intensely.

"Aren't you Lillie's brother?"

He nods, deciding it was best to be aloof than to sound stupid as he went through a series of 'uhms' and 'huhs.'

The quiet response seemed to deter the girl though as she awkwardly giggles. "Um...I'm Moon. Gladion right?"

Another nod.

Which was the only way to keep his composure as he tried to hide his internal meltdown. Did Lillie mention him? Did Lillie make him sound like the worst person ever?

Moon winced and her head shots up, now noting the canopy leaking droplets onto her cheek. She steps a little closer in his direction. "Well, it looks like you're prepared for the weather huh?". She points to his umbrella.

Once again a nod.

Which makes the girl lose her smile and pout instead. Her questions ending as silence settled in between them.

Gladion, however, continued to watch as Moon squirmed in her spot. The dripping was increasing in pace, as the space between them grew smaller and smaller.

It only took an extra minute when the canopy gave up and he finds himself shoving the umbrella over her and not himself.

A quick gasp leaves her mouth as she sees Gladion drenched from head to toe while she, for the most part, was dry.

"I'm sorr-" she begins, but Gladion is quick to stop her, now noticing the bus approaching the stop.

"Don't mention it," he murmured as he pushed the umbrella into her hands, much to her surprise, but there was no point in holding it anymore.

He figured he would just have to apologize for his disheveled look to his new boss later, but right now all that mattered was that he got there on time. He boarded the bus and made it to a seat in the back, only noticing Moon's stunned appearance as she slowly followed him.

"That's when I awkwardly got off at the same stop as you. You refused to take your umbrella back even as I called out," Moon rolls her eyes "And lo and behold, it turns out we were interns in the same place!"

Gladion stiffles a laugh as Moon's frustration could be sensed through every word she enunciates. A burst of wind now rustling the leaves and Moon's hair. She lets out a small groan as she tries to hold it down, but Gladion only smiles at her feeble attempt.

He instinctively reaches his hand out, brushing her hair behind her ear, much to her surprise. Her breath hitching at the gentle action.

So maybe she didn't know of their real first meeting. And maybe their officially meeting wasn't perfect, but he found it was enough to fall enough with the girl.

Now if only he gained the courage to tell her.


End file.
